Submit your Op-Ed

The Sentinel cares about the things you care about. One of the core missions of our publication is to give you the chance to speak to the community around us directly.

We welcome submissions of opinion articles, also commonly known as Op-Ed, on any topic for publication in print and online. It is a chance to share your views of and solutions to issues important to our community.

An op-ed, short for Opinion-Editorial, is generally an opinionated article submitted for publication in print or online. They are written by members of the community, not newspaper employees. Pieces published by media employees are formally called Editorials.

As a community newspaper, we can be more lenient with the Op-Ed pieces we accept than other newspapers with a much larger area of coverage, rigid moral compass and/or a weighted political agenda.

That said, The Sentinel seeks well-thought-out submissions that are persuasive and thought-provoking. Keep in mind that persuasion entails presenting an argument from another point of view. Your goal is to bring the reader around to your point of view, not beat them into intellectual submission.

We are highly motivated to publish your piece if you don’t just describe a problem or declare that something is wrong, but also offer a logical, viable solution, too. The easy job is complaining about a problem. The hard part is coming up with how to make things better.

We are more likely to publish pieces that are timely, written in response to current events in the community. Often we will be moved to publish Op-Eds on events at the state, national or global level that will affect the lives of the communities The Sentinel serves.

It should also be noted that The Sentinel won't shy away from submissions, serious or whimsical, that are compelling enough to stand on their own that have no connection to current events.

You don't need to be an expert to have your article considered for publication, though if you do, please elaborate within the piece or in your cover letter/email. Also, know that we will only consider completed articles and do not provide guidance on drafts, ideas or proposals.

Want more information on how to write your Op-Ed?

Check out the following links:

Op-Ed Writing: Tips and Tricks

McGill Newsroom Op-Ed writing tips

6 tips for writing your Op-Ed
In your cover letter/email please include a short note containing your name, address, and daytime and cell phone number. Please specify any credentials or qualifications, when applicable, to write on the particular subject. A short biography, two sentences at most, to run at the end of your column in your author bio would be appreciated.

Submissions must be exclusive to The Sentinel and can not be published in print or online elsewhere. We do not consider articles sent to other publications or posted online, including on a personal blog, nor do we consider anonymous or pseudonymous submissions. Submissions that have an axe to grind, threats, senseless tirades or self-serving advocacy in nature will not be considered for publication.

We may edit and/or trim articles as little as possible, but we reserve the right to do so as necessary for length and clarity. Please try to keep the word count around 700 words.

The Sentinel staff will do our best to read all submissions promptly and will contact you within two weeks if we are interested in publishing your article. If you do not hear from us, it is safe to assume we will not be able to publish your article. Regrettably, the editorial staff apologizes for being unable to respond to queries.

If a letter or Op-Ed is published, submissions by the same writer will not be considered for 60 days.

Please send your Op-Ed as a plain text or MS Word file by email to editor@oursentinel.com.